The heavy, psychedelic acid rock of Iron Butterfly may seem
dated to some today, but the group was one of the first hard-rock bands to
receive extensive radio airplay, and their best-known song, the 17-minute epic
"In A Gadda Da Vida," established that more extended compositions were
viable entries in the radio marketplace, paving the way for progressive AOR. The
track was written by vocalist, organist, and bandleader Doug Ingle, who formed
the first incarnation of Iron Butterfly in 1966 in San Diego with drummer Ron
Bushy.

After the group moved to Los Angeles and played the club
scene, it secured a recording contract and got national exposure through tours
with the Doors and Jefferson Airplane. Following the release of their 1968 debut
album, Heavy, original members Jerry Penrod (bass), Darryl DeLoach (vocals), and
Danny Weis (guitar) left the band and were replaced by guitarist Erik Brann and
bassist Lee Dorman. Weis went on to join Rhinoceros. The new lineup recorded In
A Gadda Da Vida later that year, which sold four million copies, spent over a
year in the Top Ten, and was the first album to receive platinum certification
after the RIAA instituted the award. (The title has been translated as "in
the garden of Eden" or "in the garden of life.") A shortened
version of the title track, which contained extended instrumental passages with
loud guitars and classical/Eastern-influenced organ, plus a
two-and-a-half-minute drum solo, reached number 30 on the singles charts. The
follow-up, Ball, showed greater musical variety and went gold, but it also
marked the beginning of the band's decline. Erik Braunn left the group and was
replaced by guitarists Mike Pinera and Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt, but
the group's success was largely over. Iron Butterfly broke up in 1971; Braunn
and Bushy re-formed the group in the mid-'70s without success.